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JippaLippa

macrumors 65816
Jan 14, 2013
1,463
1,643
I wish iMessage was more popular here...anything better than whatsapp, which has the complete monopoly here.
I know countless people with an iPhone but only a few use signal and practically no one uses iMessage, not even among iPhones.
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,784
10,909
Agree. I don’t understand how the consumer benefits from the platform being closed?
End to end encryption. Less spam. Identity verification. More consistent feature adoption.

I find it hard to consider the benefit of open over simply downloading a different client.
 
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Sophisticatednut

macrumors 68020
May 2, 2021
2,420
2,259
Scandinavia
End to end encryption. Less spam. Identity verification. More consistent feature adoption.

I find it hard to consider the benefit of open over simply downloading a different client.
and nowhere does the text say no end to end encryption is't protected. it's for basic interoperability, the platform is free to have all the uneque features they want. it will just no longer be possible to rely on a big user base as the sole factor.

3. The level of security, including the end-to-end encryption, where applicable, that the gatekeeper provides to its own end users shall be preserved across the interoperable services.
 
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d686546s

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2021
654
1,598
They're just trying to squeeze more money out of Apple at this point.

What kind of money are they squeezing out of Apple? Even if iMessage ends up being covered, there's no payments to the EU involved as long as Apple complies with its legal obligations just as it complies with many other legal obligations.

Neither did the EU commission. Apple could easily increase interoperability and competition by releasing an iMessage app for Android.

EU spares Apple from mandatory RCS, for now

If iMessage ends up being covered, then not really. We're talking about interoperability between services, not operating systems. Releasing an iMessage app on Android isn't the same as enabling a certain set of core features between iMessage and, say, WhatsApp or Signal.
 
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d686546s

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2021
654
1,598
End to end encryption. Less spam. Identity verification. More consistent feature adoption.

I find it hard to consider the benefit of open over simply downloading a different client.

From a competition standpoint the difference is that most users will effectively stay within the established platform because that's where everyone else is, which makes downloading and switching to another platform harder and in many cases it just doesn't happen.

In many ways the situation in the EU isn't different from the US, just the players are different. iMessage is an American thing, where it is quite effectively used to lock people into the Apple ecosystem and fundamentally is what Apple wants.

That's not the case in the EU, where iMessage is a side note. I'm not convinced it really warrants gatekeeper status. Here it's WhatsApp that has cornered the market, which makes it almost impossible for competing services, including iMessage, to gain traction here. WhatsApp has been designated as a gatekeeper, btw.

The problem here on MacRumors is that the reporting focus on Apple almost makes it seem as if Apple has been singled out. It hasn't. Google is a gatekeeper. Microsoft is a gatekeeper. So is Apple.

There's probably philosophical discussions to be had about the role of the state and practical discussions about whether this will always lead to the best outcomes for users, but anyone who argues that the overwhelming market position of these big tech companies and the way they use their platforms doesn't have a negative effect on competition has had too much Kool-Aid.

Are there broader political considerations about potentially helping European companies at play? Most certainly -- and why not. It's ridiculous to expect Europe not to try to help its own companies when everyone else is doing it. Why should they have a vested interest in not attacking US dominance?
 

kc9hzn

macrumors 68000
Jun 18, 2020
1,600
1,906
From a competition standpoint the difference is that most users will effectively stay within the established platform because that's where everyone else is, which makes downloading and switching to another platform harder and in many cases it just doesn't happen.

In many ways the situation in the EU isn't different from the US, just the players are different. iMessage is an American thing, where it is quite effectively used to lock people into the Apple ecosystem and fundamentally is what Apple wants.

That's not the case in the EU, where iMessage is a side note. I'm not convinced it really warrants gatekeeper status. Here it's WhatsApp that has cornered the market, which makes it almost impossible for competing services, including iMessage, to gain traction here. WhatsApp has been designated as a gatekeeper, btw.

The problem here on MacRumors is that the reporting focus on Apple almost makes it seem as if Apple has been singled out. It hasn't. Google is a gatekeeper. Microsoft is a gatekeeper. So is Apple.

There's probably philosophical discussions to be had about the role of the state and practical discussions about whether this will always lead to the best outcomes for users, but anyone who argues that the overwhelming market position of these big tech companies and the way they use their platforms doesn't have a negative effect on competition has had too much Kool-Aid.

Are there broader political considerations about potentially helping European companies at play? Most certainly -- and why not. It's ridiculous to expect Europe not to try to help its own companies when everyone else is doing it. Why should they have a vested interest in not attacking US dominance?
Re: the last paragraph. Europe confuses me sometimes. Let me put it this way: the ship has probably sailed on Europe being a hegemonic power, economically and politically. For one, it wouldn’t be popular in the developing world, especially in regions that were European colonies at one point in time. They’d just have no desire to work with hegemonic Europe. For two, hegemonic power generally requires military power, and the US is effectively Europe’s military (considering how little of their expected contributions the EU member states pay to NATO, the US is effectively bankrolling their national defense). Economically and militarily, they’re clearly client states of the United States, no getting around that. Culturally, they consume American media at a high rate, too. (Basically, their domestic media can be more art scene driven because the mass market media is imported, localized American content.) So, strong cultural, military, and economic ties bind the US and the EU, but the EU tries so hard to assert its independence to the US.

I guess I just don’t see why the EU thinks it truly can become a hegemonic power, especially in a world where China also wants to be the dominant power. The EU would need to become an actual sovereign state and would need to homogenize its culture to a greater extent in order to be effective as a sovereign state. All the while, weakening some of Europe’s most significant economic and cultural advantages. And then they’d have to manage to beat China to the punch (though I’m not optimistic about China’s chances at establishing hegemonic power, either). In light of all that and the fact that clearly Europe is in a better position with a more European like power as the hegemonic power, I guess I don’t get why they’re not more strongly pro-American. They’ve got quite a bit to lose if the US loses its hegemonic status.
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,784
10,909
and nowhere does the text say no end to end encryption is't protected. it's for basic interoperability, the platform is free to have all the uneque features they want. it will just no longer be possible to rely on a big user base as the sole factor.

3. The level of security, including the end-to-end encryption, where applicable, that the gatekeeper provides to its own end users shall be preserved across the interoperable services.
Pure fantasy. E2E encryption can't be preserved if you can't verify the endpoints.
 
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kc9hzn

macrumors 68000
Jun 18, 2020
1,600
1,906
Pure fantasy. E2E encryption can't be preserved if you can't verify the endpoints.
By definition. That’s what makes it End to End, after all. Can we be sure that the message arrives at its destination in a usable state after arriving at the destination service and user? Can we audit every stage along the data path as it moves across different companies’ systems? If not, then we can’t trust claims of end to end encryption. It’s much easier when it’s basically “encryption at rest, encrypted with your public or private key”, as it is on iMessage and WhatsApp.
 

Sophisticatednut

macrumors 68020
May 2, 2021
2,420
2,259
Scandinavia
Pure fantasy. E2E encryption can't be preserved if you can't verify the endpoints.
And on what basis do you do that? You can always verify the end point.
Combining the symmetric-key and DH ratchets gives the Double Ratchet.

unless you want to say apple imesage is so insecure to compromise it

 

svish

macrumors G3
Nov 25, 2017
9,625
25,544
Outside the USA, iMessage does not have that much popularity. Think WhatsApp leads in other markets.
 

AndiG

macrumors 6502a
Nov 14, 2008
996
1,894
Germany
Simple solution is to just require all EU carriers to adopt RCS. Sure, those carriers will have to pay to have their infrastructure updated for no financial benefit, but EU regulators don’t exists to make sure that what they’re requesting is financially viable. :)
Everyone else is already using RCS.
 

FeliApple

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2015
3,472
1,933
You want to talk iMessage? Let’s talk iMessage. Support is insane. iMessage works, flawlessly, among every iOS version it has been ever available for. I periodically try it. iMessage is fully compatible between iOS 5 and iOS 17. It works on every iOS device that supports iOS 5 onwards. That’s a lot. Apple doesn’t seem interested in removing support, just like WhatsApp... right?

WhatsApp, on the other hand, has removed support for 5 iOS versions in two years (between 2020 and 2022, WhatsApp removed support for iOS 7, 8, 9, 10, and 11). That’s a great consumer-friendly practice, as people don’t use older devices or iOS versions, ever, and everyone has an iPhone 15. Meanwhile, WhatsApp on Android supports Android 4, the 2011 version. Very friendly.
 
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kc9hzn

macrumors 68000
Jun 18, 2020
1,600
1,906
What issues are people having sending texts to non iMessage users? I can drag and drop videos/images etc with no issue.
Well, I think the media codex that MMS uses doesn’t handle large images or videos well. It converts videos to the old 3gp format, and images, it compresses them worse than JPEG. But for the kind of stuff you’d share over email, it works well.
 

Gudi

Suspended
May 3, 2013
4,590
3,264
Berlin, Berlin
We're talking about interoperability between services, not operating systems. Releasing an iMessage app on Android isn't the same as enabling a certain set of core features between iMessage and, say, WhatsApp or Signal.
No, we don’t. We’re talking about digital markets. As far as the EU is concerned WhatsApp and their parent company can go bankrupt, nobody cares. The question is does Apple’s iMessage lock-in hinder customers and competitors to freely chose what’s best for them? For example can you change the default messaging app on iPhone and achieve the same integration? Can you use another payment service via iMessage?
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,784
10,909
And on what basis do you do that? You can always verify the end point.
Combining the symmetric-key and DH ratchets gives the Double Ratchet.

unless you want to say apple imesage is so insecure to compromise it

Sigh. Once again, you don't understand what your linking to. That method in no way solves the problem that I referenced.
 

jonnysods

macrumors G3
Sep 20, 2006
8,454
6,918
There & Back Again
Well, I think the media codex that MMS uses doesn’t handle large images or videos well. It converts videos to the old 3gp format, and images, it compresses them worse than JPEG. But for the kind of stuff you’d share over email, it works well.
Oh ok that makes sense. I just hadn't run into many issues personally and heard some people mention it on the thread.
 

Sophisticatednut

macrumors 68020
May 2, 2021
2,420
2,259
Scandinavia
Sigh. Once again, you don't understand what your linking to. That method in no way solves the problem that I referenced.
Once again if you mean a 100% secure? Then E2E encryption is a fantasy on iMessage as well.

There multiple ways to secure the connection with different levels of convenience for the end user.

 

Sophisticatednut

macrumors 68020
May 2, 2021
2,420
2,259
Scandinavia
Sigh. Once again, you don't understand what your linking to. That method in no way solves the problem that I referenced.
How do you think this is possible in one app?
IMG_1593.png
 

BaldiMac

macrumors G3
Jan 24, 2008
8,784
10,909
Once again if you mean a 100% secure? Then E2E encryption is a fantasy on iMessage as well.

There multiple ways to secure the connection with different levels of convenience for the end user.

Again, you are linking to something that does not address the concern that I referenced.

How do you think this is possible in one app?
We are talking about service interoperability, not multi-service clients.
 

d686546s

macrumors 6502a
Jan 11, 2021
654
1,598
No, we don’t. We’re talking about digital markets. As far as the EU is concerned WhatsApp and their parent company can go bankrupt, nobody cares. The question is does Apple’s iMessage lock-in hinder customers and competitors to freely chose what’s best for them? For example can you change the default messaging app on iPhone and achieve the same integration? Can you use another payment service via iMessage?

Yes, we are. What you are describing is part of the obligations on certain gatekeepers, but where a messaging application is covered by the DMA gatekeepers need to ensure that specific services, such as WhatsApp, are interoperable (to a degree) with other comparable services.

Article 7 clearly sets this out. If iMessage were to fall into this category, releasing an app on Android would not address that because it still wouldn't be able to do any of these things, neither would any other service provider be able to interoperate with the service.
 
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Sophisticatednut

macrumors 68020
May 2, 2021
2,420
2,259
Scandinavia
Again, you are linking to something that does not address the concern that I referenced.
So what is your actual concern? What issue is it your identifying that exist in an interoperable system and not inherently in e2ee messaging?
We are talking about service interoperability, not multi-service clients.
And in what way is this different with your question to security? This isn’t a multi service client. I can send or receive iMessage messages with it or any other message.

When it e2e encryption fails the messages are just unreadable.

IMG_1595.jpeg
Or what does interoperability means to you?

That you’re using one message to send to someone’s iMessage account, signal account, WhatsApp and sms at the same time?
 
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